The Galaxy of Icons is a collection that represents the enormous technical progress and creative expansion I experienced upon arriving in New York. Just two years earlier, I had never used oil paint, and my work had an entirely different aspect.

The cultural and social radiations that struck me immediately enriched my artistic and cultural baggage enormously. Hosted in the studio of performance artist Penny Arcade and her partner Chris Rael — who literally adopted me during that moment of exhilaration mingled with disorientation — I spent over a year working relentlessly to evolve my practice.

Miraculously, my technical abilities exploded, and my subjects became sharper, more communicative. I wandered the city day and night, photographing people, objects, and scenes, later elaborating them in the studio into new canvases.

From this period emerged a hallmark of my work: the seemingly casual combination of portraits, icons, and various characters — both fantastic and real. The Galaxy of Icons marks the starting point of my artistic militancy — a phase of exploration, synthesis, and the fearless pursuit of a personal vision.